January is a time for getting back on track after the holidays. It’s easy to not take the best care of ourselves when we are surrounded by friends, food and fun. We focus on things other than self-care. But, it’s a new year and time to keep working on our health goals.

We like to take small steps that can help our health. Radical changes can be hard to commit to our maintain over long periods of time. That’s especially true after the holidays where many of us say that “all bets are off” and ignore our long-term plans for a while. But, when you instead make little swaps and add tiny things into your day, you can build a healthy regime without it feeling unmanageable or overwhelming. That’s why we like it when we hear about changes we can make to our diet that can aid our health when added to a healthy routine.

Coriander has numerous health benefits. It may aid blood sugar and memory. As with all dietary changes, one small step cannot change your overall health, that’s why it’s important to build up a healthy routine. But, adding up all your small healthy choices can make a big difference. Sometimes one change helps another. For instance, adding coriander to a meal can help you lower the amount of salt you might otherwise add for flavor.

Coriander can help increase red blood cells as it is rich is copper, iron, zinc and more essential minerals that aid blood and heart health. It may improve metabolism and lower cholesterol “bad” cholesterol while increasing “good” cholesterol.

A study in the Journal of Dietary Supplements showed that coriander protected rats against heart failure. It improved the animals’ blood flow, ventricular function and more aspects of heart health. Additionally, it has been linked to lessening hypertension and lowering blood pressure.

Speak to your doctor before adding anything to your diet. What might be a boon to some can be dangerous for others. If you suffer from low blood sugar, or are already on medications to help your high blood pressure, it could potentially be dangerous for you to add a significant amount of coriander to your diet. Everybody is different; your primary doctor can help you decide what’s right for you.  

Cooking with new things can be fun. And, as they say, it’s a new year and a new you! Coriander lends itself to so many dishes that it won’t be hard to find a favorite meal that could benefit from a pop of coriander flavor. Or, even better, try new delicious recipes and widen your die! Let 2020 be a year of great new beginnings!